5 Intergender matches the WWE Universe wants to see

WWE has never been too inclined to book intergender wrestling matches. It’s a tough concept to get behind when differences in physical size and strength make it difficult to buy female wrestlers as competitive with their male counterparts.

There’s also the matter of it not being a great look to have large male athletes beating on their female counterparts on national television.

WWE has dabbled, though, with Chyna entering the men’s ranks—believable for having the physical presence to rival or even outsize some of her male counterparts. Similarly, Beth Phoenix and Kharma had their Royal Rumble appearances.

Most recently, despite rumors that WWE wasn’t interested in intergender wrestling if only for its public image and external business dealings, Nia Jax entered herself into the men’s Royal Rumble and had a respectable run it. She followed that up by getting physical with Dean Ambrose the next night on Raw.

We can combine these factors with intergender wrestling getting featured in smaller promotions across the country. Between physically smaller male stars and more talented and athletic female talent, a number of companies have prospered casting men against women.

If WWE did go further down the road of booking men vs. women, here are five matches fans would be all too eager to see.

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#5 Ronda Rousey vs. Jinder Mahal

WWE fans would have a lot of fun seeing Ronda Rousey pummel Jinder Mahal.

Ronda Rousey is going through a difficult period in her WWE tenure as fans balk at her, in part because her celebrity status and real-life skills as a fighter have made a presumptive champion. Fans assume she’ll prevail and be featured over hardworking mainstays like Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks.

One of the best ways to still make hardcore fans cheer for Rousey is to cast her against an opponent whom no one is behind. Indeed, one of the very few people who got the entire crowd behind Roman Reigns months back was Jinder Mahal—an OK worker with a terrific look who got gifted one of the most unexpected and worst received WWE Championships of all time.

Mahal is the perfect heel to put over Rousey in this setting, for having the size to make her, in a sense, an underdog, and the kind of heat that means fans would especially relish seeing The Baddest Woman on the Planet make him tap or knock him out.

#4 Becky Lynch vs. John Cena

John Cena vs. Becky Lynch would represent a battle between different paradigms.

WWE teased a confrontation between Becky Lynch and John Cena when the latter returned to SmackDown and wound up in a mixed tag team with The Man against Andrade and Zelina Vega. Lynch largely owned Cena on the mic before the match and proceeded to give him the cold shoulder when he tried to celebrate their victory.

Lynch is over based on an anti-authority, grassroots persona that plays particularly well opposite John Cena. Sure, it would take a suspension of disbelief to buy Lynch being able to physically compete with him, but being outsized and outmuscled would only turn up the meter on her playing the underdog and make fans more eager to cheer her on in this war of competing paradigms.

Of course, it’s unlikely WWE would ever cast Cena in this position. The extent to which they’ll explore intergender wrestling anytime soon is probably going to be limited and relegated to men of lesser stature in the grand scheme of WWE. Just the same, this showdown would certainly be memorable.

#3 Nia Jax vs. Tyler Breeze

Nia Jax would outsize Tyler Breeze.

Booking intergender matches could be challenging, particularly at this point when the WWE audience hasn’t been conditioned to feel comfortable around male performers hitting female performers or suspending its disbelief around men selling women’s offense.

Nia Jax is an equalizer in this conversation, which is surely why she got the call to enter the men’s Royal Rumble. Billed at six feet tall and two hundred seventy pounds, she looks bigger than many of her male counterparts.

Tyler Breeze would be an ideal opponent for Jax. He’s about the same height but lighter. Moreover, he’s a lower mid-card guy who has worked comedy enough that he wouldn’t be hurt by selling for or even losing to Jax.

On top of all of that, he’s an excellent worker. While Jax may not be as bad as her worst critics make her out to be, she’s not winning any awards for safe and technically advanced ring work. As such, Breeze could be well suited to work a well-strategized match that looks good and competitive.

#2 Charlotte Flair vs. Mustafa Ali

Charlotte Flair vs. Mustafa Ali could legitimately be a great match.

One of the reasons Charlotte Flair has been so consistently pushed around the top of WWE’s women’s ranks is that she checks so many boxes. Yes, she’s a talented wrestler and a good enough promo.

She’s also the daughter of Ric Flair and a traditionally good looking woman. On top of all that, at 5’10” and a 140 pounds, she’s bigger than most women on the roster, and looks like she could believably beat them up.

Mustafa Ali is a more unlikely superstar. He’s the same height as Charlotte Flair and only about forty pounds heavier, and his Pakistani and Indian roots make him a less traditional face for WWE and its fans.

So, while Flair has made the most of having all of the advantages, Ali has fought his way up the ranks, working for smaller promotions for over a decade en route to WWE’s Cruiserweight division, and standing out enough there to get a spot on SmackDown.

Flair and Ali could superficially look competitive feature a pair of stars who can both go in the ring. If they have any chemistry at all, this could easily be a great match.

#1 Sasha Banks vs. Rey Mysterio

Sasha Banks vs. Rey Mysterio could be a fast-paced Cruiserweight style match.

Sasha Banks is one of the most successful NXT projects, evolving from a competent but largely forgettable wrestler to one of the developmental brand’s best-developed characters, not to mention a polished worker.

If she were still working smaller promotions, the odds are she would have been cast opposite her male counterparts by now to get the most out of her work rate.

Rey Mysterio is an unlikely legend whose talent, athleticism, and connection to the crowd got him over at the highest levels, despite being a Cruiserweight who stood 5’6”—only an inch taller than Banks.

Mysterio is one of the few WWE Superstars who, by virtue of his size, could make the sub-120 pound Banks look competitive in an intergender match. Moreover, they’re both fast-paced workers and share the connection of Eddie Guerrero—one of Mysterio’s real-life closest friends and longtime in-ring rivals, and the star who inspired Banks to get into wrestling, to begin with.